Bottle carrier



F. D. PALMER BOTTLE CARRIER Nov. 2, 1954 .5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1952 INVENTOR Fm: AM .5. PA A MEI? BY QW/M v ATTORNEYS I HWW WFPII Nov. 2, 1954 F. D. P LMER l 2,693,298

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed June 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wag. I" I i? A @2215 1 23 123 I 23 za b BY w M ATTORNEYS Nov. 2, 1954 F. D. PALMER 2,693,298

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed June 10, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR I'm! 1B1; MEI? BY dfl'h yu ATTORNEYS BOTTLE CARRIER Frank D. Palmer, Winter Park, Fla., assignor to Package Machinery Company, East Longmeadow, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 10, 1952, Serial No. 292,639

Claims. (Cl. 229-118) This invention relates to an improvement in cartons of the carrier type.

Cartons-of this type are of particular advantage in the retail distribution of bottle goods such as beer and soft drinks. Commonly they are made to hold six bottles and because of the ease of handling they promote the sale of the goods in quantity rather than in single bottles. Special cartons of this type represent an additional selling cost. In one form of use the bottled goods are shipped to the distributor in cases from which the bottles are transferred tothe carriers for distribution or sale. This practice involves extra handling expense and ineflicient distribution of the cartons, that is, smaller shipments to a greater number of users. Furthermore, since the cartons are advantageously shipped fiat, unless the cartons are to be set up by hand, setting up machines are required, and where the practice above outlined is followed there is a tendency for uneconomic use of the setting up machines and the initial cost of the latter may be prohibitive for small users.

' As a result the practice has grown of having the bottles placed in the carriers at the bottling works or at the brewery so that the goods reach the distributor or retailer already in the carrier. This practice entails further problems in. the construction of the carriers since they must meet shipping requirements which, as regards strength and packing specifications, are higher than may be necessary for mere retail distribution. The extra cost resulting from the use of stronger and more expensive materials must if possible be met by improved structures which reduce the use of such material while meeting shipping.

specifications, reduce manufacturing costs, the cost of shipping cartons to the bottler, and the cost of setting up and filling of the carriers.

The ideal carrier would beone which makes use of the cheapest materials consistent with the-requirements of shipping glass;containers, one whichm'ay be shipped flat, received by the bottler in condition for :quickand easy setting up, and which in their manufacture and seting up makes maximum use of standard equipment with a minimum use of special machines,

ltis the principal object of the present invention to provide a carrier which at least closely approximates this ideal. More particularly stated, the objects of 'the invention are to provide a construction that will reduce material and manufacturing costs for the carton manufac" ture and secure a general reduction in cost to the bottler through more efficient assembly, filling and shipping, while at the same time providing a more attractive and sturdy carrier, all to the end of securing a reduced over-all carrier cost and an expanded use of carriers with their attendant convenience to the retailers and-their customers. Other and further objects residing in the details of construction and form ofassembly will be made apparent in the following specification and claims and in the disclosure of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. Us a generally perspective view of a carton carrier embodying the invention, parts being broken away to better show the construction;

I Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank from which the body portion of the carrier of Fig. 1 is formed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the sleeve, which forms the transverse partition member, is formed; I

Fig. 4 is a generally perspective view of the partition sleeve in set up position; x 1 4 1 States Patent 0 ice Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the handle forming longitudinal partition member is formed;

Fig. '6 is a generally perspective view of the handle forming longitudinal partition member as it enters into the assembly;

Fig. 7 is a generally perspective view showing the blank of Fig. 2 in partially folded condition; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are end elevational views showing respective alternative forms.

Referring to Fig. 1 the carrier is shown as comprising a body section generally indicated at 1, a partition-sleeve section, generally indicated at 2, and "a handle-partition section generally indicated at 3.

In Fig. 2 is shown the blank from which the body wall section 1 is formed. As there shown section 1 comprises a floor portion 4, with opposed side wall portions 5 extending from the sides of portion 4 and separated therefrom by score lines 6. Extending from opposite ends of one of the side wall portions 5 are end wall portions 7 separated therefrom by score lines 8. From the ends of the other side wall portion 5 extend end wall portions 9 separated therefrom by score lines It).

The extension of portions 9 from the portions 5 is approximately equal to half the width dimension of portion 4 while that of portion 7 is slightly greater to provide an overlap, as later described.

Extending from the ends of floor portion 4 are flaps 11 separated therefrom by score lines 12. Cut from the flaps 11 but hinged to the floor members 4 by scores 12 are tongues 13. Outwardly of tongues 13 the score lines 12 are formed with skip cuts 14 (indicated by heavy lines) which extend through the material of the blank. Fig. 2 shows the form in which the body wall section is supplied to the bottler or other user by the box manufacturer.

In Fig. 3 .is shown the blank from which the partitionsleeve section 2 is formed. As shown, section 3 comprises transverse-partition forming portions 15 and end or spacing portions 16 connected to the adjacent portions 15 by score lines 17. One end of the blank is provided with a tab 18 connected to the adjacent portion 15 by a score line 19 provided with skip cuts 20 which extend through the material of the blank. Each portion 15 is provided with spaced inverted U-shaped cuts 21 which form tongues 22 connected to the portions by score lines 23 extending between the ends of the cuts 21. The tab 18 is glued to and along the free edge of the. remote portion 16, as indicated at 24 in Fig. 4, to form a fiat sleeve which can be opened vto rectangular shape as shown in the latter Qfigure. 1The section 2 is supplied to the bottler or other user .in'fia'ttened condition.

reenforcing portion 27 separated therefrom by a score line '28. The portions 26 and 27 are each provided with a handle opening 29 into which extends a flap 30 connected to the body of the portion by a score line 31. The openings 29 and flaps 30 are so positioned in the respective portions 26 and 27 that when portion 27 is folded onto portion 26 about the score line 31, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the respective openings 29 and flaps 30 coincide.

The partition portion 25 is divided into three portions 32 by slots 33 in which the portions -15 of sleeve 2 engage when the carrier is assembled as shown in Fig. 1. Each portion 32 is provided with an inverted U cut 34 forming a tongue 35 connected to the portions by score lines 36. Extending from the sides of section 3 are wing members 37 connected to the body of the section by score lines 38. The wing members extend from approximately the top 'of partition forming portion 25 to a point short of the bottom of said portion by a distance slightly more than the height of tongues 13. With portion 27 folded onto portion 26 and said portions glued or otherwise among the usual facilities of box manufacturers, and require no special facilities for their production, and further, that they may be shipped flat, minimizing packing and shipping charges.

Due to the features of construction the assembly of the three pieces which make up the carrier into the completed form of Fig. 1 may be quickly and rapidly accomplished by a relatively inexpensive machine.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that flaps 11 are folded over onto the floor portion 4 with the tongues 13 positioned at right angles thereto. With the sleeve section 2 opened to a rectangular form portions 15 engage in the slots 33 of section 3 to form transverse partition members at right angles to partition members 32. The wing members 37 of section 3 are bent at right angles to the body of the section, and when the sidewall portions 5 of section 1 are folded upwardly at right angles to the floor portion 4 the wing members 37 and tongues 13 are positioned in a common plane between, and are glued to, the overlapping portions of end wall members 7 and 9 at each end of the carrier.

As shown in Fig. 7, when the flaps 11 are folded over onto floor portion 4 they tend to stay in flat position due to the greater flexibility imparted to the score' lines 12, about which they are folded, by the skip cuts 14. The tongues 13 due to the greater stiffness of the score line at their base tend to spring upright, or at least the flaps 11 and tongues 13 tend to separate sufliciently to facilitate their being brought to the position of Fig. 7.

With the sections 2 and 3, assembled as described, positioned on the folded flaps 11, and with the wing members 37 extending in the direction of the short end wall portions 9 and in the planes of tongues 13, the wall members 7 and 9, by slight under and over folding respectively, may be easily guided to their respective positions outwardly and inwardly of the wings 37 (and of tongues 13) as the side wall members 5 are folded upwardly to positions at right angles to the floor of the carrier. The engagement of the free vertical edges of members 9 against the adjacent face of section 3 together with the engagement of side walls 5 of section 1 with the end walls 16 of section 2 tend automatically to bring the several parts into proper relative position as the assembly is completed. The portions of the inner surfaces of wall members 5 which engage wall portions 16 of the sleeve are provided with glue over a sufficient area to firmly secure the center portion of the side wall members to the sleeve.

Whether or not advantage is taken of the relatively simple and expeditious machine type assembly, above and made possible by the structural features described, the construction provides an extremely rigid and strong carrier. The overfolded flaps 11 reinforce the floor of the carrier, giving a high degree of transverse rigidity at the end edges of the floor. The floor is securely and rigidly connected to the end walls by tongue 13. The three-ply construction formed by the overlapping of the edge portions of the end wall members 7 and 9 over the tongues and wings 13 and 37, with the resulting rigid connection tending section 3, provide a strong back bone for the carrier. The two-ply construction at the center of the side walls where the ends 16 of the sleeve are adhered to the wall members 5 further stiffen the structure.

As shown in Fig. l, the several tongues 22 and 25 may be bent inwardly of the bottle receiving cells to provide a cushioning support for the bottles adequate for both transportation and handling. One or more of the carriers can thus be placed in a conventional carton or box in lieu of the separating structure otherwise necessary for case shipment requirements. The carriers when so used also facilitate loading and unloading of the cases.

It will be undestood that various changes can be made in the shape or capacity of the carriers, for instance as shown in Fig. 8 the height of the side wall could be raised and the ends given slanting edges as shown at 40 in Fig. 8 or the side and end walls could both be extended to the height of the handle partition member as shown at 41 and 42 respectively in Fig. 9. Furthermore, the tongues 22 and 35 could be omitted where their function is not desired. Also, if only light loads are to be carried, flaps 11 and tongues 13, either or both, could be omitted, although both are preferably present.

What is claimed is:

1. A three piece bottle carrier, comprising a first section having a floor portion, side wall portions hinged to outlined to the longitudinally exthe side edges thereof and four end wall members hinged one to each end of each side wall portion, one member of each pair of end wall portions adjacent the ends of the section having an extension from the side wall portion substantially equal to, and the other member of the pair having an extension greater than, one half the width of the floor portion to provide overlapping end edge portions, a second section comprising opposed side and end wall members, respectively of a length equal to the width, and to one third of the length of said floor portions, hinged together to form a rectangular sleeve, and a third section having an upper handle portion and a lower partition forming portion provided with a pair of spaced slots opening from the bottom edge thereof to receive the side wall members of the sleeve section, and wing members extending from the side edges of said third section and engageable between the said overlapping end edge portions of said end wall members, when the latter and the side wall portions are positioned at right angles to the floor portion, for securement therebetween to secure the sections in assembled bottle carrying relation.

2. A three piece bottle carrier, comprising a first section having a floor portion, flaps extending from the ends of the floor portion and foldable thereon, said flaps being provided with U shaped cuts to provide upwardly extending tongues at the ends of the floor portion, side wall portions hinged to the side edges thereof and four end wall members hinged one to each end of each side wall portion, one member of each pair of end wall portions adjacent the ends of the section having an extension from the side wall portion substantially equal to, and the other member of the pair having an extension greater than, one half the width of the floor portion to provide overlapping end edge portions, a second section comprising opposed side and end wall members, respectively of a length equal to the width, and to one third of the length of said floor portions, hinged together to form a rectangular sleeve, and a third section having an upper handle portion and a lower partition forming portion provided with a pair of spaced slotsopening from the bottom edge thereof to receive the side wall members of the sleeve section, and wing members extending from the side edges of said third section, said wings and said tongues being engageable between the said overlapping end edge portions of said end wall members, when the latter and the side wall portions are positioned at right angles to the floor portion, for securement therebetween to secure the sections in assembled bottle carrying relation.

3. A three piece bottle carrier, comprising a body section having a floor and side walls extending therefrom, four end wall members extending one from each end of each sidewall, one member of each pairof end wall members adjacent the ends of the carrier having an extent from the ad'acent side wall equal to, and the second member of eac said pair having an extent greater than, one half the width of the floor, said second member of each pair overlapping the first member of the pair outwardly thereof, a partition-handle section extending longitudinally of the body section and having wing members extending from its ends and secured between the overlapping edge portions of said end wall members, said partition-handle section having spaced slots opening from the bottom edge thereof, and a sleeve section having opposed side and end members, the latter being engaged in said slots and forming transverse partitions to provide, with the longitudinally extending handle-partition member, a plurality of bottle receiving cells within the carrier, the end members of the sleeve being secured to the adjacent side wall of the body section.

4. A three piece bottle carrier comprising a body section having a floor, flaps extending from the ends of the floor and folded thereon, said flapsrespectively having upwardly extending tongues cut therefrom and extending upwardly from the end edge of the fioor, side walls extending upwardly from the sides of the fioor, four end wall members extending one from each end of each side wall, one member of each pair of end wall members adjacent the ends of the carrier having an extent from the adjacent side wall equal to, and the second member of each said pair having an extent greater than, one half the width of the floor, said second member of each pair overlapping the first member of the pair outwardly thereof, a partition-handle section extending longitudinally of the body section and having wing members extending from its ends, said wings and said tongues being secured between the overlapping edge portions of said end wall members, said partitionhandle section having spaced slots opening from the bottom edge thereof, and a sleeve section having opposed side and end members, the latter being engaged in said slots and forming transverse partitions to provide, with the longitudinally extending handlepartition member, a plurality of bottle receiving cells within the carrier, the end members of the sleeve being secured to the adjacent side wall of body section.

5. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 3 in which the handle-partition member and the side members of the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,125,829 Fenlason Jan. 19, 1915 1,770,681, Walter July 15, 1930 2,413,315 Darragh Dec. 31, 1946 2,418,350 Holy Apr. 1, 1947 2,522,950 Keith Sept. 19, 1950 

